Rio Olympics 2016: Russia Athlete Ban Upheld By CAS

Russian athletes will not be able to compete at Rio 2016 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport backed a decision to ban them over the country’s alleged state-sponsored doping regime.

Russia’s athletics federation was suspended by the sport’s world governing body, the IAAF, after an independent report found evidence of widespread doping.

The Russian Olympic Committee and 68 athletes appealed against that decision but after hearing evidence from both sides, Cas has ruled the ban can stand.

Separately, the International Olympic Committee is considering calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Olympic Games following a second report into state-sponsored doping.

BBC

Rio Olympics 2016: Russia Athlete Ban Upheld By CAS

Rio Olympics Football Seeding Released

FIFA on Friday released the football seeding of the upcoming Rio Olympics that will take place in later in the year

The draw will take place on Thursday, April 14, in Rio, while the tournament kicks off on August 3.

Hosts Brazil will take the lead spot in Group A, with the teams allocated into four pots based on a ranking built according to performances at the past five Olympic Football Tournaments.

SEEDING

Pot 1: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Japan

Pot 2: Nigeria, Korea Republic, Honduras, Iraq

Pot 3: Sweden, Fiji, Portugal, South Africa

Pot 4: Algeria, Colombia, Denmark, Germany

The ranking is weighted so that recent performances play a more prominent role, and a bonus is given to those nations who finished their qualifying competition as continental champions.

 

Rio Olympics Football Seeding Released